bamboo furniture

designing

Where western design meets indian tradition

bamboo furniture
designing

Where western design meets indian tradition

Photograph on cover: Elke van Gelder Before publishing any content of this report first contact CIBART, DDiD or Thies Timmermans

Foreword
This project is a result of an exchange program of DDiD (Dutch Design in Development) and CIBART (Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology). DDiD sends professional designers who are keen to expand their horizon and are willing to exchange their knowledge for a good cause, wherein eventually both the parties benefit from a mutual exchange of knowledge & experience. This report was initially written as to show the two month during process to all interested. Eventually its content can be used as a guideline for those who will participate in the DDiD program or for others who are (going to be) involved in a sustainability, bamboo or development country project.

Contents
Foreword Contents Abbrevitions Assignment
Initial design proposal Background Adjusted assignment Workplan

3 4 7 8
8 8 10 12

Bamboo

Bamboo in general Publics view Region specie Environmental issues

15
15 15 16 19

Konbac

Organisation & location Mission & objectives Set-up

21
21 22 24

Bamboo processing

Introduction Preservation Peeling skin & knot removal Sawing Splitting Straightening & bending Construction

26
26 28 31 31 31 32 32

Sanding Coating Export

32 32 34

Market

Introduction Survey Lounge Bamboo experience Sketching Concepts Prototyping Prototype improvements Project evaluation

36
36 36 38 42 42 42 46 52 56

Design

42

Evaluation

52

References Appendix
I II III IV V Contacts Planning Market research Tactics Product catalogue

58 60
60 62 64 65 66

Credits

73

Abbreviations
BB Boric Borax CCB Copper Chrome Boric CFC Common Facility Centre CIBART Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology DDID Dutch Design in Development IIT Indian Institute of Technology IPD Industrial Product Development INBAR International Network on Bamboo and Rattan NID National Institute of Design KONBAC Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development Centre Rs Indian Rupees TRIBAC Tripura Bamboo and Cane Development TUDelft Technical University of Delft

Assignment
Initial design proposal
The initial design was proposed by Rebecca Reubens of INBAR and can be summarized as: To design a range of childrens products, especially school furniture using whole bent bamboo.

assignment

Background
The school furniture (main product line) and other childrens furniture and products is a very generic product for children, who deserve the best in terms of design - i.e. to say a child in Africa deserves he same quality of furniture as a child in Holland - for e.g. for children, issues like the product being non toxic, safe etc. really are very important. Therefore, rather than focussing on a certain limited market, very generic products of high quality should be developed, which can be customized as and if required. The product designed needs to appeal and fit within a wide range of constraints which cut across developed and developing country definitions and perceptions. We would like to have a very contemporary product aesthetic, keeping in mind production that is using very simple whole bamboo technology i.e. the round form, which can also be bent, and also slat based furniture, i.e. made from bamboo slats, which can also be bent. (tubular sections i.e. round cross sections), so that the product can cater to developed country aesthetics as well, and can be produced in our field projects in India and Africa. INBAR and CIBART are development organizations, and so they are trying to help rural people with livelihood generation, which involved designing products which can be produced by these rural people, and yet cater to larger markets - like the west - and use technologies and materials that are existing in the given production set up, keeping in mind constraints like existing materials, cost, skill sets, infrastructure etc. The idea is to design and prototype school furniture collections using solid bamboo - say around 6 sets or so, lay these out classroom style, and then set

Bamboo availability in its different forms. From the raw whole collumn to the pressed multilayer bamboo fiber mats. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

assignment

up exhibitions and discussions in different countries including with educators, government ministries, teachers and so on, to promote these furniture lines. The chair you designed as you mentioned was for Dutch children and this would have been a key feature of its ergonomics. The furniture we are looking at will cater to children all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the EU, USA and so on, so it has to be much more ergonomically flexible. Cost wise and design wise as well, the furniture has to be comparable to products used in the North, so standards of design and quality have to be very high, and so I would suggest using research from the internet of school furniture as our benchmarks - not local statistics. Regarding laminated furniture parts, this is indeed a very good technology, and it is currently being developed further for bent and laminated bamboo furniture, but it is not sure if it will be perfected this by November.

Adjusted assignment
After discussing the project with the directors of KONBAC, changes were implemented in the initial assignment. Due to the existing market and the current state of product quality the main goal is altered to: designing a new line of high quality furniture for the top-end market. Current production is of mediocre quality, because of lack of experience, due to the short existence of KONBAC. This combined with the heavy competing market of school products, that hasnt yet been penetrated by KONBAC and where other brands already have settled, makes it hard, if not impossible, to introduce a successful product. The national image of bamboo material, being inferior to wood, steel or plastic, also doesnt contribute to this. The use of the existing market, that KONBAC has already entered, is more cost reducing because of more build up experience and set up contacts and less required promotion. Introducing a new product is expected to be easier, less costly and successful in a shorter period. The high standard of the new design will hopefully achieve a second goal:

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The beaches of Goa are a mayor touristic attraction and offer an interesting target market. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Vagator beach

assignment

to take the factory to a new higher level whereas new methods of production can be implemented with the aim of reducing manufacturing costs and production time and improving product quality. Therefore special attention should be paid to the production method e.g.: line-production, use of malls, implementation of new constructions and materials. Of course during the design process special attention should be made towards the possible production technologies considering the material, used skills, infrastructure and costs. Other important fields are ergonomics, safety, toxicology and product aesthetics.

Workplan
To achieve the set goals, a work plan has been developed (seen below). This work plan states the main steps and achievements in the process and can be used as a guideline during the project. A more detailed planning can be found in the attachments. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction Company and technology research Market Research Sketching Detailing design Materializing

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During the design process special attention should be paid to the traditional low tech skills of the craftsmen. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

bamboo Bamboo crops are often grown for additional income at small farmers backyards.

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Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

Bamboo
Bamboo in general
Did you know that bamboo provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after the atomic blast in 1945? And Thomas Edison successfully used a carbonized bamboo filament in his first experiment with the light bulb. Bamboo can be seen as a very suitable, eco-friendly and easy usable substitute for wood. There are over 1000 species of bamboo on the earth. The diversity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. The plant tolerates extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall. It is also the fastest growing woody plant on this planet. It grows one third faster than the fastest growing tree. Some species can grow up to one meter per day. One can almost watch it grow. This growth pattern makes is easily accessible in a minimal amount of time. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwood. The sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of bamboo is 25% which means that bamboo greatly reduces rain run-off, preventing massive soil erosion. Its anti-erosion properties create an effective watershed, stitching the soil together along fragile river banks, deforested areas. Product wise the material is very strong: Bamboos tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch versus 23,000 for steel. The basic manufacturing of bamboo doesnt require special skills or expensive tools. Since it almost grows everywhere, has good material characteristics and is easy to manufacture it is very suitable for agricultural and crafting approaches for rural communities. It is an important mean for generating income and improving the nutritional status of poor and disadvantaged people.

Publics view

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Cane and bamboo are considered as an inferior material in India. This is because theres the interpretation that these kinds of materials are only used for short term use as a substitute for timber. Since bamboo mainly grows in rural

bamboo

areas where daily income is below $2, - (below poverty line) it is seen as a poor-mans-material. People dont even know the difference between bamboo (a grass) and rattan (a tree) and its distinguished species. This is due to little information and knowledge about bamboo and its possibilities. In the project this attitude towards bamboo is of main importance, since the product market is in Goa. Therefore a survey (see chapter) is been held to research the opinion of the target market.

Region species
The used bamboo in the Konkan region takes about 120 days to full growth. The appearance of branches is a sign of the reached adolescence; it stops growing in lengths and diameter. For construction stronger bamboo is used of 4 years old. For furniture and other products bamboo of 2 year old is used. Another interesting fact is that when bamboo is harvested when the moon is rising, it will easier be harmed by insects. If harvested under a declining moon, fewer insects will bother the material as per locally known. The main species of bamboo found in this district are Oxytenanthera stocksii, Bambusa arundinacea, Oxytenanthera monostigma and Dendrocalamus strictus. The nature of bamboo crop varies from moderately dense type to regeneration type. At KONBAC only the first two species are used for the manufacturing of products and they are locally addressed with the names of respectively Mannga and Kanak. The Mannga bamboo is not thorny, has a small diameter and grows to lengths of 30 feet. Typical is its thick wand that most of the time results in a complete solid centre. This explains the very strong tubular section. The skin is hard and strong, but these characteristics decrease towards the centre.

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Kanak, a thorny bamboo, grows to lengths of about 80-90 feet. It has a large diameter but is hollow due to its thin wand. Kanak is strong and comparable light, but isnt used much in construction and furniture designs because its preservation is unknown with the result that is easy splits.

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The flowering of bamboo happens only once in a long period, but is disastrous for the harvest since it makes the bamboo useless Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

bamboo For furniture and construction purpose truckloads of only mature bamboo are used.

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Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

Environmental issues
Bamboo can be seen as a substitute for wood, since it grows faster and lends itself to easy agricultural approaches in many different climates and in this manner it can prevent the scarce natural source of wood from being depleted. Apart from this, bamboo growth can also results in healing degraded land, stopping soil erosion and helping in drought-proofing. It has an underground root-and-rhizome system that effectively binds the top one foot soil that is critical for soil health. Bamboo is a critical element in maintaining the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Carbon gets trapped within bamboo forests, thus reducing carbon dioxide gases. It also lowers the intensity of light and protects us from harmful ultra-violet rays. Bamboo forests nurture wildlife. Apart from the endangered panda, the most famous symbol of bamboo forests, many birds, monkeys and boars depends on bamboo shoots. A problem that is recently occurring in China is the harvesting of wild grown bamboo in nature with the result of endangering this local fauna. In India small farmers cut their bamboo in their jungle backyard for an extra income. Although when harvested with care it is possible to cut wild bamboo without harming the environment (cutting one bamboo culm results in three new ones), most people dont know this. Thats why awareness programs have been set up. Also several bamboo nurseries have been implemented. The nurseries grow shoots of the most suitable available species of bamboo and sell these to farmers so they can grow their own crops. In the end this will improve quality of the harvested grass.

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konbac Teaching women in rural commmunities the techniques of bamboo handcraft results in an extra eco-income and decreases poverty.

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Photograph by Thies Timmermans

Konbac

Organisation & location

With the objective of strengthening the bamboo sector in the Konkan region, the Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology (CIBART), having its Head Quarters in New Delhi, established an office in Kudal of Sindhudurg District in June 2004. The strategic reason for setting up the office in Kudal is its proximity to Goa (tourist destination) and Mumbai, the business hub and also the availability of bamboo resources in Sindhudurg. Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra has a geographical area of 5087 sq. km with a forest area of around 910 sq. km. The forest lands are largely owned by the government (to the tune of 94 sq. km) with about 50 sq. km. under the ownership of private persons. CIBART has established a Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Kudal with the funding support from Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under Ministry of Textiles in January 2005. The technical inputs and guidance were extended by International Network on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) which is a global network having its Head Quarters in Beijing, China. To promote the local ownership, the Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development Centre (KONBAC) was registered as a not for profit organisation under section 25 of company act in June 2004. Though the CFC was initially set up by CIBART, the implementation is done by KONBAC. Till now,
organisation hierarchy

21

KONBAC was a supporting agency for CIBART initiatives and it is expected to take the lead role in strengthening the bamboo sector initiatives in the Konkan region.

Mission & Objectives

KONBAC aims at establishing backward linkages into the villages and forward linkages into technical and with other development agencies at the regional, national and international level. The organisation intends to work with civil society, government and community to make bamboo-based sustainable development a reality. It works through building networks and partnership. The aim of KONBAC is to achieve environmental security and economic development of the community through sustainable use of bamboo. Given Indias rich bamboo resources and the peoples natural affinity to this grass there are immense opportunities and KONBAC aims to actualize this untapped potential by guiding and training communities to set up bamboo based enterprises. KONBAC has global outlook, yet one that addresses local needs. It is for the communities, but is market driven and businesslike. For KONBAC, the communities are the primary beneficiary market the goal and the production of the craft and manufactured goods using industrial approaches the means. KONBAC aims to develop interventions that would promote eco-income generation activity by total involvement of the local basket-makers communities. KONBAC has set up a office in Kudal, Sindhudurg and within a span of 2 year KONBAC has initiated several steps. Awareness raising and training programs is ongoing features of KONBACs activities. KONBAC through such activities intends to provide technology support to these groups in the area of design, development and market linkages that would promotes eco-income general activity.

konbac

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With the funding support from Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under Ministry of Textiles a Common Facility Centre (CFC) was established in Kudal.

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Photograph by Konbac archives, Kudal

Set-up
KONBAC promotes and has set up a large number of activities. These can be summarized in four groups. 1) Common Facility Centre. Set up by CIBART in 2005, but implemented by KONBAC, this facility centre houses bamboo preservation machinery and other (heavy) machinery for the basic manufacturing of all bamboo products. A great deal of the pre- and post-construction activities of both furniture and structuring works is carried out here. Secondly the centre has a medium stock of both the uncut material right from the fields as the preserved ready to be used bamboo. 2) Training Programs. Set up by KONBAC with the intention to promote eco-income to those who are living under the poverty line in especially the rural areas. Local teacher are educated by professionals from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, in Mumbai) or the National Institute of Design (NID in Ahmedabad). Knowledge about design and manufacturing of bamboo products, general development and marketing is carried out. KONBAC also provides these teachers with technology support in the form of an specially designed tool-kit (prof. A.G. Rao of IIT). 3) Furniture unit (factory). This facility is situated only 200 metres from the CFC. All bamboo furniture is constructed here. Four groups are working separately according to a working scheme planned by the supervisor. Each group consists of one master craftsman who directs and teaches 6 to 7 assistants. 4) Structuring. This youngest project of KONBAC is for the design, fabrication and erection of bamboo structures. A full time (construction) designer is directing most of the projects. In special occasions professional architects or constructors are approached.

konbac

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The development of a resort in South Maharastra is an example of possible bamboo technology and can be seen as a direct result of the new structuring program of Konbac. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

Bamboo processing
Introduction
In this chapter the whole process flow (see diagram) is discussed. Facilities of bamboo manufacturing are available in the CFC and the furniture factory. In the CFC main activities of pre-construction are pealing skin, removing knots, preservation and conserving, length sawing, splitting and raw material bending whole bamboo and slats. Post-construction consist primary preparation 1. of sandpapering and applying varnish. drilling holes The construction and assembly of the bamboo is done in the furniture factory. Around six different types of bamboo construction methods are used (see pictures on the next pages) and all of them are similar to wooden construction techniques. Most work is done by hand using sizzles, hammer and hack saw. Small electrical equipment, like a column drill and hand drills, is also used. A product catalogue can be found in the appendix. The weaving of bamboo into products like basket etc. is learned during the training program and is no part of the factory process. Since it isnt
chemical treatment peeling skin knot removing

processing

2.

primary processing
straightening culm sawing splitting bending jointing & binding 3.

finishing
filling sanding painting

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end product
process flow

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A large part of the processing of bamboo is done by hand using the dao or machette Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Kudal

Preservation

involved in the making of furniture it hasnt been researched thoroughly in this project. To preserve the bamboo for 25-30 years a toxic Copper Chrome Boric (CCB) chemical is used at CFC. The bamboo is placed in a pressure tank and this is vacuumized. After this the chemical is added and pressure changes from vacuum to 14 kg/cm2. The pressure makes sure the small capillary of the bamboo is filled with the chemical (these capillary close within 48 hours of cutting the bamboo). The bamboo skin is not penetrable by the CCB, so holes are drilled into the centre of the bamboo to provide an entrance and let the chemical penetrate from the inside. Although the CCB is considered not harmful for the customer due to its position on the inside of the product and the protective layer of varnish, it is not an ecological material to use. There are more different treatments to preserve bamboo available, but technical (short conservation period), economical (too expensive) and implementation (long processing time) characteristics make them not ideal. One of them is the using of a mixture of Boric Acid and Borax. This chemical is not toxic, but can only be used for indoor products since its working will disappear when contacted with water. A more lasting result can be obtained soaking the bamboo in a solution of 0.75% of Sodium Pentachorophinate to 1 litre of water. The solution with the bamboo is then boiled for 15 minutes and cooled to room temperature. Alternatively, if boiling is not possible, the strips are kept immersed in the cold solution for 24 hours. Finally, the bamboo parts are removed and spread out, in a shaded place, to air dry.

processing

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A more traditional way of preserving bamboo is by smoking. The finished product is subjected to prolonged smoking over a fireplace. This technique, that is also available at CFC, leaves a darker brown colour over the bamboo pro-

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Clockwise from upper left: drilling, preservation tank, peelin skin, knot removal. Photographs by Elke van Gelder & Thies Timmermans, CFC Kudal

processing Clockwise from upper left: widt sizing and planing machine, sawing, radial splitting, straightening.

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Photographs by Elke van Gelder & KONBAC archives, CFC Kudal

ducts. Out of an ecological point of view and considering people health an alternative is sought for.

Peeling skin & knot removal

The rough and uneven surface of the bamboo culms is smoothened primary for aesthetic and preservation (since the CCB doesnt penetrate the skin) reasons. The knots are evened by circular rotating blades. Although the skin is the strongest part of the bamboo it is also peeled. This can be done in the traditional way: using a machete or dhau. For the removal of the cortex of bamboo splits there is also the availability of using a width sizing and planing machine. Operating this machine consists of manually passing single splits through it. The splits are divided into two equal parts.

Sawing
The bamboo is sized and cut using a circular saw. The machine has a measuring device to saw pieces of uniform length. During construction simple hack saws are used for slotting and seizing more detailed work.

Splitting
Whole bamboo culm can be split into slivers or splits. Splits are the full thickness of the culm wall and have the green outer layer still attached whereas slivers are thin, narrow sections of the bamboo split. This radial splitting of the bamboo culm is done with a machine. The columns is placed on the machine manually. One end is fitted between the blade radial splitter and the chuck (metal disk). The blade radial splitter is shaped like a wheel and has 4, 8, 12, and 16 blade variations. The size of the resulting splits depends on the used blade variation.

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Once the bamboo is fitted onto it, the chuck pushes the bamboo through the blade radial splitter, and the bamboo gets split into as many divisions of the wheel that the blade has. The blade moves fast to allow the bamboo

to pass through the cutting edge with force.

Straightening & Bending

Bending of bamboo culm, splits or slivers is done by heating the bamboo with a flame. On microscopic level fibres are melted and these can be deformed. When the required bend is completed, the heated portion should be kept immersed in water till the water temperature returns to ambient. The whole process is reversible. Sometimes jigs or malls are used to repeat the process while maintaining the same shape. The straightening and bending of bamboo is easier when the material is green, rather than when it has dried. Though it is relatively easy to bend an immature bamboo, it will revert to its original state within a very short time. The black burning spots that are a result of this process are removed by hand, but will always be partly visible in the product. Bending with steam wont leave these scars on the material. KONBAC is planning to purchase this kind of machinery in the future.
processing

Construction
Construction is done by four small groups with an artisan as team leader. The artisans can be considered as skilled teachers who train their group. Construction techniques consist of simple methods that are similar to construction of wood (see pictures). The craftsmen use sizzles, hammers and drills to construct. For connection cane bindings, iron nails, bamboo pens and glue are used.

Sanding
To improve the durability of the varnish attachment and to increase aesthetics, the products are sanded. Sanding is mainly done by hand. Sometimes square plane sanding machines are used.

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Coating
The furniture is finished with commercial varnish. Polyurethane or melamine varnish is currently popular because of its durability and scratch resistance.

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Clockwise from upper left: bending, construction, sanding, painting. Photographs by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

Depending on the products and the wishes of the customers a synthetic colour is added to the painting mixture. Although other finishing methods are more eco friendlier they are not used for economic and durability reasons.

Export
KONBAC has some experience on export and is interested. The main problem of possible export will be the conservation of product quality. Compared to the Dutch climate, the Konkan region has a higher degree of moist in the air. When the products is transported to a less moisture climate chances are that cracks will appear due to splitting. A possible solution can be the local seasoning of bamboo. This means that the material will be dried for a longer period before used for furniture. This is not possible during the 4 month monsoon.
processing

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For jointing traditional construction methods are used. For extra strength and a nice finishing cane bindings are used. Photographs by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal. rendering by Thies Timmermans

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Market
Recent market
CFC was established in Kudal for its near markets of Goa and Mumbai. Mumbai is considered as business capital of West-India and should therefore be a right target for bamboo products. The state of Goa is the Mecca of India for tourists. It offers not only lots of restaurants, hotels and cafes as potential buyers, its also considered as the gateway to the Western countries. In this project we will concentrate on the Goan market only. Although these areas are the reason for the CFC establishments in Kudal, most of the bamboo furniture is purchased by local companies and organisations. This is probably because of the little recognition of the organisation and the lack of promotion. Combined with the general fact that bamboo is seen as poor peoples material and the constant threat of competitive cheaper local wooden and plastic products and the bamboo furniture out of China, it can be said that the bamboo-market is not an easy one. Most sales (approximately 90%), carried out the last two years, are orders done by the hotel, restaurant and guesthouse sector. Special opportunities lay in future plans: 1) The construction of a resort in Tarkali beach in South-Maharashtra has recently started. Because of its potential attention in the media, the resort is seen as an exhibition of possible bamboo technology. Secondly it can function as a showroom for other bamboo products like furniture. 2) KONBAC is planning to set up a showroom of bamboo products only. This should functions as a centre sales and promotion point and should raise awareness of bamboo benefits (e.g. environmental issues, poverty reduction of rural communities). It should be located in the Goa state or Mumbai.

market

Survey

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A survey was held under the owners of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and bars in different places in the state of Goa, regarding their opinion of bamboo furniture. An attempt to retrieve information by sending an email (see attachment) resulted in a response of two out of fifty sent emails. Visiting the

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Most bamboo furniture is used in the hotel and restaurant sector in for example a garden. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Mapusa

target group physically provided more information also due to the possibility of deepening out the conversation. In the attachments more information can be found about the companies that have responded. Survey conclusion Most reactions are positive about bamboo and cane. It seems that the negative image of bamboo, being poor material, is less strong in Goa. Probably because they follow the Western trends and habits more closely. Bamboo (and rattan) furniture is welcomed with open arms. People think it has an appealing and natural look. Bamboo and cane furniture is mostly seen as comfortable furniture to relax and is therefore wanted as outdoor furniture for terrace, garden and lounge rooms. The availability of cushions in seats is found a necessary item. Although traditional designs are still wanted, some up-market restaurants and hotels prefer new design to offer something original to their customers. Cane furniture is already widely used in touristy Goa and is also referred to as bamboo furniture. Most problems of this type of furniture happen when stored during the monsoon period. Fungus, insects and the moist weather afflict damage to the furniture e.g. causing rusty nails, stains and spots and loose ligaments. Other problems are caused by constant sunshine, guests or personnel and chemicals like sun oil or makeup. This results in high yearly maintenance costs. To avoid these costs sometimes artificial cane or bamboo furniture is used. Still bamboo furniture is not so common to be found in Goa because it takes effort to find good quality within the state. Bamboo is also considered as fairly expensive when compared to the cheaper and easily available cane (500600 Rs) and plastic (150-350 Rs) products. The maximum price people are willing to pay for a sofa differs from 800-1000 Rs. One of the criteria of the newly designed bamboo furniture is that concepts

market

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Lounge

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Bamboo is widely used in Goa since its negative image isnt too strong. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Vagator

market

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One style to concentrate on is lounging. Photograph from the

should fit in the Goan market. Possible customers like tourists and owners of tourist facilities should be willing to buy the product not only for its attractiveness and traditional craftsmanship but also for its valuable functionality. Because of the already existing connection of bamboo with comfort and the rising trend in Western countries of lounging, the focus is set on lounging furniture. These types of products are commonly used as garden furniture in western countries but also wouldnt be awkward in the lobby of a hotel, in the lounge room of a nightclub or on the terrace of a beach shack. Lounging can be described as a relaxed style where comfort has a high priority and the whole environment is transformed to an easy going state of being. This means chill out music, comfortable furniture, and dimmed lights. Characteristics and criteria of typical lounge furniture are: Lot of cushion and pillows Comfortable for longer period Low sitting position Multiple body positions possible Modern looks Rounded shapes mostly organic or natural

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Design
Sketching

Bamboo experience

The best way to get to know the material and the skills of workmen is by experiencing it yourself. During the first days I was educated by local craftsmen and encountered the manufacturing of furniture out of whole bamboo and weaving baskets of bamboo. With the just learned available techniques several sketches were made. During the design process schematic tables of Pablo van der Lugt are used (see appendix). Different characteristics of the creative process for bamboo designing are taken into account: Intrinsic qualities of bamboo Using culm or splits Combine with other materials Use cultural skills Product innovation (new product) Market & consumer research

Concepts
The concepts were chosen from the initial sketches on base of 4 main criteria: 1) Western design The concepts should be different from the traditional products, both in form and functionality. They ought to have a modern look. 2) Organic forms Form and curves should be as organic as possible to emphasize the natural material. Box shaped furniture (like the traditional) is out of the question. 3) Traditional skills Although different in looks and forms, the concept furniture should be able to be made by the local craftsmen and their traditional skills. 4) Suitable for target market The concepts should fit in the Goan market. Possible customers like tourists and

design

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The designer at work to gain a real bamboo experience. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

owners of tourist facilities should be willing to buy the product not only for its looks and traditional craftsmanship but also for its valuable functionality. The concepts (see pictures) were developed with the intention to be manufactured by bamboo material only (cushions not taken into account).

design

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From sketch to concepts.

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Photographs by Elke van Gelder, Kudal, rendering by Thies Timmermans

Prototyping
Since the project would only last for one month, the stage of prototyping was initialized already in the third week. The three concepts shown on the pictures on the previous page were found most suitable and interesting and were prototyped. Each design was prototyped by a different group of artisans led by a master craftsman as team leader. During the prototyping each concept had its typical problems. The cocoon was expected the easiest to be materialized, thus it was given to the least experienced group of artisans. In the end this was clearly visible in the product. The bending and shaping of the slats was an easy task to perform but It turned out to be quite difficult to make a proper equal spacing between the bent slats. The main problem was the making of the round frame. The radii of the circles were found to small to be made from whole bent bamboo culm. A first attempt to use bamboo splits resulted in a deformed round shape. Using a round mall also didnt work. In the end rattan was used for the internal frame. The form turned out rather well, but the strength of the frame is below what is to be expected. During the construction of the roundabout it was obvious a mall or jig was needed. The wooden jig didnt work. A mall consisting of iron nails on a board resulted in a fine main shape of the bamboo slats. The skill of the master artisan was needed to make all shaped slats rather equal because they all revered back differently due to the variable maturity of the used bamboo. The first slats were made from the Kanak bamboo, but Mannga offered a stronger and nicer solution. Another problem that had to be faced was how to attach the slats so that eventually an consistent form of the chair should appear. A frame needed to be designed that would function as a guide for the slats and that at the same time would look elegant, be able to be made by the artisans and provide enough strength to carry a single person. On the next page is to be seen what frame designs were considered as an option. The spine was favourite from the beginning, but problems were expected

design

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How to communicate western design into eastern traditional craftsman minds. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

when making the frame. Artisans thought the frame couldnt be made out of whole bamboo culm. Thats why they started with bamboo splits. Shaping the right form was very difficult and in the end the manufactured frame consisted out of four different parts. From an aesthetic and a construction point of view we considered the use of cane as the construction material. Implementing this decreased manufacturing time and improved the quality of the form drastically. But the strength and construction problem remained. To solve this, horizontal pipes were inserted. Additional shear prevention was found in a cross section, materialised in the frame. All these extras did not support the aesthetics of the product. The option of using a metal frame, which is expected to be both strong and elegant, was tried to implement, but finding a suitable metal workshop with the required machines turned out to be very difficult. Hopefully this variant will succeed in near future.

design

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During prototyping it was hard to find the right shape. Photograph Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

design

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The most promissing concepts were prototyped. Photographs KONBAC Archives, Kudal

Evaluation
Prototype improvements
The concepts have been modified in the prototype phase. However after discussing the prototypes with the artisans, the management team of KONBAC, coordinators of the project and people from within the Goan market other improvements definitely have to be implemented. General improvements involve the using of bamboo nails instead of iron nails. Iron nails will get rusty after a while and this will affect the product quality and durability in a negative way. Secondly the cane bindings should not be used at all. Market research shows that already after one year of use these bindings start to come off. This affects not only the looks but also the whole image of the bamboo. People see it as a fact of indurability and thats not true since these bindings are mainly used for aesthetic reason (hide iron nails) and they dont add to the product strength. From a Western perspective a chair without binding looks more appealing because the product doesnt seem to be kept together by strings. A third change comes from the artisan corner. They suggest using the Mannga, bamboo, instead of Kanak, for the making of the shaped slats. Mannga is better to manufacture and looks better. When producing these special curved splits, different malls should be used in which the revered position is calculated and tested. Suggested change to the spine: A prototype with a tubular stainless steel frame should be tried. Bamboo slats of the same form should be attached from the inside of the frame with screws. For a cane frame, longer cane material should be used, so that the frame will consist of one part only. The horizontal rods should be place between the round shaped framings and not on top of them. More effort has to be taken into the detailing of the edges of the bamboo slats. The bending points should be at equal position to all parts. The edges of these parts should be cut off straight at a uniform length. Special attention should be paid to the base of the chair. The legs of the hair should provide a stable and sufficient support for the user.

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The prototypes should be improved so they can compete with the disgraceful artificial bamboo furniture. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, Calangute, Goa

 The concept of this lounge chair was the possibility of extending it by connecting it to other furniture of the same line. But this involves a connection or interaction mechanism, that is no yet available on the prototype. After the completion of the prototype, the roundabout was found most promising for the market. A few improvements are: Since there is a frame to support the users weight, out of elegancy, the bamboo strips are advised to be of thinner dimension. Additional horizontal supports that are not part of the frame should be inserted. These supports form an interconnection of the shaped slats. This will improve both strength and uniform shape of the product. Any frame parts should not out length the external bamboo shaped slats. The rectangular frame should be of a more organic form to emphasize its original curved form. Dimensions of the prototype seemed to be slightly inappropriate so they should be resized (see picture below). The basic idea of the roundabout was the forming of a circle when several chairs were sideways connected. This slight implemented curve was initially not placed in the concept because of expected difficulties, but the product is now ready for. Basic dimensions turned out to be over-sized. Dimensions should be altered to ergonomically just values. For the interconnection of several chairs, a mechanism should e invented. The prototype of the cocoon was visually inferior to the other concepts. In a way this is the result of poor craftsmanship, but mainly its the design that needs a lot of improvements. KONBAC decided to drop this concept and concentrate on the other two. The internal frame is not stable. This is because the outer form has been developed first and the inner frame was constructed and adjusted afterwards. A stronger and more stable frame (using metal?) should be inserted. As the cushion will be permanently attached, the bottom of the chair should be kept open to make cleaning considerable easy. The outer form of the short shaped slats and the longer ones do not fol-

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For the shaping of the main form, jigs should be used, instead of working on the eye. Photograph by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

low the same line. Additional horizontal support can solve this. The spacing of the strips should be as tight together at the bottom of the product as possible. They will widen more when going up and the resulting gaps are intolerable wide.

Project evaluation
Although this project has come to an end, the research and detailing of the designed furniture should continue. Special attention should be paid towards the frame and the finishing of the strips. For the Goan market maintenance costs are very important so the product should be as durable as possible. The style and technique that is used in the concepts of the spine and the roundabout can be implemented on different kinds of furniture and can form a complete new furniture line (e.g. stools, tables, lounge beds and multiple seaters). A longer and better market research should be implemented in future, for it is important to keep an eye on the changes and hypes. The use of a public relation can improve customer relations and can increase valuable market feedback. In my personal opinion I think that both concepts have a chance on the Dutch market and should be tried to be exported whenever product quality (detailing) has improved and factory capacity has increased. At that time special attention should be paid to the effect of the different climate of the countries in accordance with the preservation value of the products.

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Using bamboo nails instead of iron ones will improve quality and lower maintenance costs Photograph by Elke van Gelder, CFC Kudal

References
Bamboo: an introduction
graduation report NID Rebecca Reubens

Bamboo development in Konkan

a sheet presentation by KONBAC KONBAC, 2004, Kudal

Bamboo processing

graduation report NID Rebecca Reubens

Bamboos of India

K.K. Seethalakshmi & M.S. Muktesh Kumar, 1998, Art Options, New Delhi, ISBN 81-86247-25-4

CIBART communiqu

quarterly newsmagazine of CIBART I.V. Ramanuja Rao, Vol. 1 issue 1, February 2004, New Delhi

Global Initiative on Marketing Community Based Bamboo Products

a product catalogue INBAR

Human powered bamboo splitting tool for rural India

58
references

a graduation report Willem van Glasbergen, June 2006, Delft, the Netherlands

Local tools, equipment and technologies for processing bamboo and rattan

an illustrated manual R. Gnanaharan & A.P. Mosteiro, INBAR, 1997, Art Options, New Delhi, ISBN 8186247-17-3

Market report
INBAR

Product catalogue KONBAC

KONBAC, 2006, Kudal

Summary INBAR projects India

a powerpoint presentation INBAR

Sustainable bamboo product development

a basic presentation to Han Brezet ir. Pablo van der Lugt, Delft, January 2005 a powerpoint presentation TRIBAC.

TRIBAC, Tripura bamboo and cane development

Why bamboo?

a website http://kauai.net/bambooweb/whybamboo.html

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Appendix I: Contacts
Freelance Product Designer Thies Timmermans +31 (0) 642150095 thies.timmermans@gmail.com http://www.thiestimmermans.tk Photographer Elke van Gelder +31 (0) 623735012 elkevangelder@hotmail.com http://www.elkevangelder.tk Director KONBAC Sanjeev Karpe +91 (0) 9422369789 sanjeev.cibart@gmail.com Project officer KONBAC Shilpesh Gambhire +91 (0) 9423408703 shilpesh.gambhire@gmail.com Architect Mozaic Design Kanwarjit Nagi +91 (0) 9421246125 architecture@mozaic-design.com http//:www.mozaic-design.com Construction Designer KONBAC George Joel +91 (0) 94903335066 greenearthculture@gmail.com

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appendices

Head Design INBAR Rebecca Reubens rreubens@gmail.com Contact DDiD Stella van Himbergen Stella@ddid.nl Bamboo Researcher TUDelft Pablo van der Lugt p.vanderlugt@tudelft.nl IPO Graduate on bamboo design Arjan van der Vegte arjan@vdv-design.nl DDiD Participant Lara de Greef info@laradegreef.nl DDiD Participant Eliza Noordhoek lentekind@gmail.com TUDelft Graduate on Bamboo Matchstick Machine Willem Glasbergen willemglasbergen@hotmail.com http//:www.bambootool.com

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NID exchange student, Pforzheim University, Germany Sebastian Philipp +49 (0) 17620102814 Bamsoknight@web.de

Appendix II: Planning

week 45 (10 nov - 12 nov) Settle & Introduction fri 10 transport to Kudal sat 11 settle at Kudal,quick tour around sun 12 talk about planning, send contract, receive document information, investigate about organisation, ornigram, talk to Kanwarjit week 46 (13 nov - 19 nov) Technology & Market research mon 13 day off tue 14 full day walk around wokshop, take pictures of products, catalogue products, inform in details about constructions by workmen, inform about idea wed 15 report workshop day thu 16 follow traditional workshop fri 17 report and leave for Goa sat 18 investigate Goa market, visit hotels/shops/? sun 19 investigate Goa market, visit hotels/shops/? week 47 (20 nov - 26 nov) Sketching ideas mon 20 day off tue 21 arrive from Goa, discuss possible target markets in afternoon wed 22 report thu 23 make rough sketches & report fri 24 make rough sketches & report sat 25 present rough sketches and choose a few design to detail sun 26 day off week 48 (27 nov - 3 dec) Materialise & Detail mon 27 day off tue 28 detail design, talk to workmen wed 29 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed thu 30 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed fri 1 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed sat 2 present design for proto typing (on scale) sun 3 day off week 49 (4 dec - 10 dec) Prototyping (on scale) mon 4 day off tue 5 dutch holiday wed 6 start prototyping (on scale) or practical details thu 7 start prototyping (on scale) or practical details fri 8 prototyping sat 9 prototyping sun 10 day off

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week 50 (11 dec - 17 dec) Meet coordinator in Ahmedabad mon 11 day off tue 12 leave for Ahmedebad wed 13 arrive and accommodate thu 14 discuss prototype and project fri 15 make improvements sat 16 visit design academie and do market research sun 17 day off week 51 (18 dec - 24 dec) Final adjustments mon 18 day off tue 19 return from Ahmedebad wed 20 arrive at Kudal thu 21 discuss prototype and possible improvements fri 22 start 1 to 1 prototype sat 23 start 1 to 1 prototype sun 24 day off week 52 (25 dec - 31 dec) Final prototype & Report mon 25 day off, christmas tue 26 day off, christmas wed 27 1 to 1 prototype thu 28 1 to 1 prototype fri 29 1 to 1 prototype sat 30 1 to 1 prototype sun 31 day off, new year week 1 (1 jan - 7 jan) Final prototype & Report mon 1 day off, new year tue 2 prototype + report wed 3 prototype + report thu 4 prototype + report fri 5 prototype + report sat 6 prototype + finish and deliver report sun 7 day off, new year week 2 (8 jan - 10 jan) Evaluate mon 8 day off tue 9 evaluate project wed 10 leave Kudal

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Appendix III: Research

During the market research the following places were visited: Maggies guesthouse - Calangute 9822122174, Maggiesgoa_94@hotmail.com Midrange guesthouse with rooms RS1500,Villa Theresa - Calangute Villatheresa@hotmail.com Midrange guesthouse with rooms Rs1200,Utopia - Calangute 09810543115, info@utopiagoa.com Trendy beachclub/restaurant/lounge bar Taj holiday Village - Candolim 918326645858, Aveek.sengupta@tajhotels.com Top end 5-star resort with cottages $190,Goan Village/Alegria Beach resort - Candolim 2489284, alegriadegoa@gmail.com Budget guesthouse and midrange cottage resort Lemontree - Candolim PERSONAL OPINION Sapana2k@rediffmail.com, Top end, 3-star hotel Le Bluebird - Vagator 9522587056 Midrange guesthouse with rooms Rs1500,-

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Appenix IV: Tactics

During the project, especially in the sketch and concept phase, design tactics were used of Pablo van der Lugt.

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Appendix V: Catalogue
This is the main part of the furniture catalogue with products that are manufacture by CFC and its artisans. Because of the rapid development o new designs there are still some pieces missing in the catalogue (all photographs by Elke van Gelder).

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This page displays some of the manually fabricated handcrafts

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Design consultant Thies Timmermans Project coordinators Stella van Himbergen, DDiD, the Netherlands Rebecca Reubens, INBAR, India Sanjeev Karpe, KONBAC, India Photography Elke van Gelder Thies Timmermans KONBAC Archives The office Sanjeev Karpe, Mohan Hodawadekar, Shilpesh Gambhire, Vikas Bendke (Dada), Madan Samant, Sagar Dalvi, Huliapa Talwar, Miind Thakur, Kapil Pokle, Sachin Tuwar, Chudnaik, NayanMasurkar, Ramchandra Rawool CFC Amit Dhondu Kudalkar, Zilu Krishna Bhagat, Bhaskar Madhukar Terse, Hanumant Anant Sadvelkar, Sameer Ramesh Parab, Satesh Subhash Haldankar, Sachin Sahil, Mahesh Mahadev Sawant, Anup Sadvelkar, Mukund Nerurkar, Sachin Satardekar, Sanjay Parab, Anita Kudalkar, Rakhi Kudalkar, Ujwala R. Jadhav, Sarika Kudalkar, Soudamini Kudalkar, Ujawala Vasant Jadhav, Shubhangi Kudalkar, Vidya Lad, Amita Loke, Snehalata Malvankar, Sameer Satardekar, Sameer Rawool, Deven Satam, Madhukar Paste, Pravin Telikocharekar, Mahesh Rane, Amol Naik, Parag Gosavi, Chandrakant Mestry, Sanjay Patel, Dattaprasad Sakharam Mestry, Mahadev Kambali, Vijay S. Patel, Nilesh Dhuri, Dattaprasad Mestry, Shyamsundar Mestry, Anand Dalavi, Sunil Mestry, Laxman Mestry, Dilip Nicham, Sudhir Majumdar, Sudan Rudrapal, Subrata Sarkar, Manoranjan Deb Barma, Jyotish Deb Barma, Sanjay Deb Barma, Others Dieuwertje, Eliza Noordhoek, George Joel, Lara de Greef, Manu Mayank, Kanwarjit Nagi, Sebastian Philipp, Willem Glasbergen, Michael KwakuRamchandra Rawool Special thanks to Elke van Gelder

 Before publishing any content of this report first contact CIBART, DDiD or Thies Timmermans